It's difficult to eat healthy all the time. That's why a lot of dieters are tempted to cheat.
“If you have a craving for something specific like chocolate, I am the first one to tell you to eat the chocolate,” says Melanie Jatsek, a registered dietitian. “Whatever you do, do not try to cover up the craving with something like a cluster of grapes, because you’re going to eat a bushel of grapes, and then you’ll eat the chocolate, too.”
She advises upgrading the ingredients in your cheat foods.
Instead of spaghetti, look for a sauce with no sugar added and put it over a bean-based pasta.
Upgrade your chocolate fix by upping the cacao. Jatsek recommends something with more than 80 percent cacao.
Another common craving is grilled cheese, but choose a sprouted bread with grass-fed butter and natural cheese.
A pizza can be upgraded by using a crust made with cauliflower.
If you crave something crunchy like chips, look for chips made with coconut oil or fermented chips made with sauerkraut.
Even soda can be upgraded by choosing a sparkling water with a splash of fruit.
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Jatsek is a registered dietitian and is the author of Missing Peace: Eleven Secrets to Restore Inner Harmony With Your Food, Body, and Health.